Read this summary of the Gideon v. Wainwright Supreme Court case.A Florida man named Clarence Earl Gideon was charged with breaking into other people’s property. He appeared in state court and explained that he could not afford a lawyer. The court did not appoint him a lawyer, so Gideon had to represent himself. He was convicted of the crime. Gideon appealed his conviction on the grounds that the court had denied him the right to a lawyer. The Supreme Court agreed and overturned the conviction.